Call For Participation From South African Universities

The Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa’s Process Research Unit invites South African universities to tender project proposals for research work that will advance the development of new skills and commercial opportunities in the pulp and paper industry.

Proposals should relate to the following: 

• The extraction and modification of hemicelluloses from mill liquors. This should include the development of processes to recover, process and test the economic viability of products.

• Nanocellulose production from waste streams (typically paper machine sludge) and other biomass feedstocks available.

• The development of pyrolysis processes to recover liquid and solid products for beneficiation for use in the chemical and fuel sectors.

• The recovery of liquid fuels/chemicals using fermentation-type processes suitable for the processing of liquid waste streams for the manufacture and recovery of alcohols and bio-plastics.

No more than three proposals from each institution will be considered.

Please include:

• Overall project scope, clearly defined deliverables and motivation.
• Innovation and uniqueness.
• Time-line with clearly defined target dates and intermediate hold points.
• Overall cost and expected cash flow over project life.
• Resources required, with particular emphasis on up-skilling human resources, including number of masters and/or doctorates that could be developed.
• Potential for entrepreneurial development and community upliftment.

Email:              patti.webster [at] pamsa [dot co dot za]

Queries:           011 803 5063

Closing date:   Monday, 5 October 2015